the weight loss papers

I got an interesting email yesterday about candida and how it can cause problems with losing weight. I have heard of candida causing such issues before but this article really got me thinking about my own weight loss issues over the past several years and I think perhaps candida overgrowth could be a major contributor.

Now, I haven’t asked permission from the author, so I’m not going to quote his article or anything but I will paraphrase what he recommends if you think you could have this problem. Recognize that I am not an expert and if you choose to follow these suggestions, you do so at your own risk with no warranty of any kind from me. I have not (yet) tried these suggestions, however, I will be in the coming days and will report any progress here.

So . . . the first thing that is suggested is that you do a cleanse to rid your body of the candida and get it functioning again. He recommends a vegetable juice cleanse of fresh, juiced veggies and says this should be done for at least 10 days and a maximum of 30. If it’s difficult for you to do nothing but fresh squeezed veggie juice every day, try 2-3 times a day and eating normally the rest of the day.

It’s also recommended to stay away from all sugars including honey, fructose, molasses and such and especially to stay away from foods like cakes, candies, sodas, fruit juices and the like. He does say using Stevia is ok.

You should also avoid white starch foods like white bread, cakes, white pasta, white rice, potatoes and etc. Whole grain flour is ok in moderation as is brown or wild rice and whole grain pasta.

He recommends no dairy products, though eggs are fine. Which actually makes sense because whomever said eggs were dairy products in the first place, must not know much about animals.

Then he says to increase your essential oils like omega-3. You can use fish oil, flax seed oil, borage or evening primrose. I used fish oil and flax seed myself though I have to be careful with the flax seed as it tends to upset my stomache. One tablespoon or 3 capsules daily is the suggestion.

Also increase your acidophilus intake or add it to your diet if you’re not taking it. He says to use it both after breakfast and dinner daily. Now, one can find these in good yogurt which is what I usually do but since that’s dairy, I guess I’ll have to get some supplements or something. Although I heard elsewhere that yogurt is ok in moderation as long as it does contain the probiotics and live cultures. So, it’s a toss up, I guess.

Anyway, I look forward to seeing how this works for me. If you try it, let me know how it goes.

~ Annie

I mentioned my 10-grain (or 7-grain works too) bread recipe a few posts back and haven’t had a chance to post it yet so here goes!

Add everything to the bread machine as follows:

• 3 3/4 cups Whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons Salt
• 2 tablespoons Dry milk powder (I have omitted this successfully)
• 3/8 cup 10-grain cereal
• 2 tablespoons Molasses
• 13 1/2 fluid oz Water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Dry yeast

I use the whole wheat setting on my machine. I am not sure what size loaf this makes because my machine doesn’t have that option but it’s fairly big and quite a heavy loaf. I suggest taking it out of the bread pan as soon as your machine is finished so the crust doesn’t get too crispy as it tends to crips fairly quickly and can become quite hard if it sits in there too long.

I have also added 1 cup of unsweetened applesauce to this recipe with tasty results.

Hope you enjoy! If you make it, let me know how it turns out and what you thought of it.

~ Annie

Did you eat any Easter treats yesterday? I sure did! Not only did we get a couple of treats for the kids, my mom brought over a pound cake that was delicious. Yep, I had a piece and a couple of treats. My husband knows I like the Cadbury’s Mini Eggs A LOT so he got me a bag of them. I shared most of them with him and kids, though. In years past, I’d have eaten the whole bag myself - not all at once, though - but I wouldn’t have shared many of them.
I’ve said before that I think allowing yourself a couple of treats now and then is just as essential to weight loss as eating the right foods. If you don’t allow yourself a bit of wiggle room, you’ll fail more often than not. And probably crash a lot harder, too.

I like Easter - it marks the beginning of Spring and longer days which I really like. I like the decorations too. Cute little bunnies and chicks and brightly decorated eggs. Plus the kids always enjoy hunting for the eggs. Yesterday it rained, though, so we didn’t hide any but the kids didn’t seem to mind that.

We also had ham, potatoes, carrots, broccoli and rice. It was quite good! I threw everything into a dutch oven and cooked it at 250 in the oven for a couple of hours. Well, everything but the rice, that is. I cooked that in the rice cooker.

One of the highlights of my day was early yesterday morning - my 3 year old son came into our room when he woke up. My husband and I were laying there listening to the radio and I had forgotten my husband had taken him to get his hair cut Saturday afternoon. Almost didn’t recognize the little guy! He thought that was pretty funny and laughed at me for a while.

And then when grandma got to our house yesterday afternoon, she gave each of the kids a couple of candies. He then started racing around the house and as he got back to the kitchen where were standing, he began hopping. It couldn’t have been more on queue if he’d tried! Silly little guy!

Anyway, I hope your day was entertaining as ours and if you fudged a little on your food, don’t beat yourself up over it. Just get back on track today and remind yourself it’s all good.

Not sure what tips I’ll have in store for tomorrow but I hope come back soon anyway. Try subscribing to the RSS if you haven’t already. It’s a great way to stay up on the latest posts without having to check to see if there’s anything new.

Have a great afternoon!
Annie

One of the biggest things that has made a difference for me is ensuring that I drink enough water every day. Although the amount one should drink per day is disputed by doctors and other health experts, I’ve found that drinking at least four or five 32 oz water bottles full is about right for me. Personally I think it varies from person to person and what might be right for one, may not be right for someone else. So, experiment and see how you feel.

When I first started drinking that much daily, I went to the bathroom an awful lot! And this continued for a few days until my body got used to it. I also noticed that drinking bottled water did NOT help. I always went to the bathroom a million times a day no matter what. I eventually found out the bottled water isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

It wasn’t until we put a filter on our water line at home that I actually started feeling refreshed and hydrated and going to the bathroom less. I also noticed that my puffy ankles and stuff finally went away. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t retain water because you have TOO much, you retain it because you don’t have enough. And your body is trying to hang on to what it has.

This is the same thing with fat, actually - it’s the reason “starvation” mode diets don’t work. Your body hangs on to the fat because it thinks it’s’ not getting enough. The key is to eat regularly like I noted in some of posts previously - that’s why I started eating 5 small meals every day instead of the “normal” 3 that the FDA harps on.

Tomorrow I have a couple of recipes to share, one of which is my 10-grain bread recipe. I use a bread machine so if you don’t have one, you might have to adjust a few things but you’ll be glad you did because the 10 grain bread is delicious!

Bye for now,
Annie

It’s been my experience that shopping is often the bane of weight loss and healthy eating. There’s so much junk out there, it’s difficult to shop efficiently and effectively. And I’m sorry to say, you can’t always trust what the FDA says about whether or not something is good for you, either.

Shopping is one of my biggest challenges. Over the years, I’ve learned to be diligent in checking food labels, keeping up to date on what “filler” ingredients are harmful and which ones to steer clear of. I’ve learned to buy organic and natural foods as much as possible.

You probably know that food affects your waistline, but did you know that food affects your mental health as well? Studies have shown that children diagnosed with ADD/ADHD do much better when they follow a diet that eliminates processed foods, sugars (including high fructose corn syrup) and foods with naturally high sugar contents (like apples and apple juice). If this is true for such children, wouldn’t it be possible that it’s true for adults?

And studies have shown that people are getting heavier a lot younger than they used to as well as that diabetes is growing rapidly - even in children. Do you think all of these things could be related?
Frankly, I wouldn’t doubt it. How could they not be? This means that it’s in your best interest to not only watch the carbs, the fats, the calories and such but also pay attention to ingredients, specifically fillers like high fructose corn syrup, “natural flavors” and additives like MSG.

I don’t always buy organic or natural foods but I do try to balance those with other things I’m buying. I do not buy soda and other sugary drinks, chips, candies, donuts, ice cream or other treats and I seriously watch ingredients in things that one would think would be good for you or at least things that aren’t generally considered junk - bread, cheese, oatmeal and some convenience foods. Often, these are laden with exactly the stuff we’re trying to stay away from.

Paying attention to organic and natural foods is critical too. Not all of them are what they claim to be. In fact, did you know that many of the products touted as organic or natural are owned by parent companies like Coca Cola and others? What do you really think goes into those so-called “natural” products? How are they processed? Are they processed in the same facilities where the “junk” food is produced? It’s possible, I’m sure.

One of my favorite natural brands in Bob’s Red Mill. They have all kinds of grains from quinoa to couscous to 10 grain cereal. Flour like wheat, gluten free, rice flour and many others. Their line of products is pretty broad and I can usually find something equivalent to other brands. (I’ll post my modified version of their 10 grain bread later this week. It’s very tasty!)

I also tend to buy products aimed at the vegetarian market because they often have less filler ingredients and crap in them than their counterparts.

What is your experience with shopping? Do you find it difficult to shop well?